Remember their names. Trans lives matter!

Every year on or around 20th November trans people worldwide gather for the Transgender Day of Remembrance to remember transgender people lost to violence.

The Remembering Our Dead site tell the stories trans people known to have been killed or died as the result of oppression, as documented from reports by Transgender Europe and trans activists worldwide.

Here are some of the transgender people we have lost. Never forget!

WARNING: This content is distressing!

The body of Mariana Jaramillo was found in a rural area of Palmira near the Santa Elena, Valle del Cauca (Colombia) on 26 Apr 2022.

Kitty Monroe was shot multiple times in her home in Memphis, Tennessee (USA) on 29 Jun 2022. A suspect has been arrested.

Cromada was shot in Fortaleza, Ceará (Brazil) on 27 Jun 2022. She was 32.

Victoria de Lima was shot while attending a Festa Junina celebration in Maringá, Paraná (Brazil) on 25 Jun 2022. She was 25.

Estrallita Martínez Correa was shot in Fonseca, La Guajira (Colombia) on 24 Jun 2022. She was 22.

Shawmayné McClam and her sister (who survived the attack) were both shot in Gulfport, Mississippi (USA) on 21 Jun 2022. A suspect is has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault.. Shawmayné was 27.

F. C. Ferreira Lima was shot in Casimiro de Abreu, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) on 18 Jun 2022. She was 26.

Thiraphong Lamluea was found dead in her room in Prasat, Surin (Thailand) on 15 Jun 2022 - about a week after she had been killed. Her boyfriend has been arrested for her murder. She was 31.

Vianey Navarrete was killed in her apartment in Cancun, Quintana Roo (Mexico) on 13 Jun 2022. She was about 26-30

Cloe Bianco died by suicide in Belluno (Italy) on 11 Jun 2022. She was 58, and a teacher who had been suspended by her school after coming out.

Vergel Catalonia Tumicad was beaten in Ilagan, Isabela (Philippines) on 10 Jun 2022. She was 24.

Rexy Que  died by suicide in Wichita, Kansas (USA) on 3 Jun 2022. They were 26.

Alice Litman died by suicide in Brighton, Sussex (United Kingdom) on 26 May 2022. She had been on a waiting list for treatment at an NHS Gender Identity Clinic for no fewer than 1023 days. She was 20.

Jasper Aaron Lynch, a 26-year-old transgender man, was shot and killed by police in McClean, Virginia on July 7.

Maddie Hoffman died after being shot by police during a wellbeing check at her home in Malvern, Pennsylvania (USA) on 19 May 2022. She was 47. 

Sherin Celin Mathew died by suicide in Kochi, Kerala (India) on 17 May 2022. She was 26.

Naomi Fernandes de Sousa was shot in a bar in Parauapebas, Pará (Brazil) on 7 May 2022. She was 27.

Paulo Vaz (“Popó Vaz”), age 36, died 14 Mar 2022 in São Paulo (Brazil). Possible suicide.

Source: The Trans Lives Matter twitter account.

More stories from 2022 here.

If you are transgender and suffering from fear, anxiety, depression and/or suicidal thoughts, seek help in the LGBTQA+ community, among trans-friendly health personnel or by calling a hotline. 

Hotlines for US and Canada.
Britain.
India.
Ireland.
List of domestic violence hotlines.
List of LGBT rights organizations.
List of suicide crisis lines.

Forthcoming Taylor Swift video will feature transgender actor Laith Ashley

One of the singles from Taylor Swift’s new Midnight album will have a video where trans man Laith Ashley will play the role of Taylor Swift’s lover.

Swift has presented short clips of several videos, and one clip is Swift lying in bed with Laith Ashley, with Swift stroking a pool of glittery rainbow liquid on Ashley’s back, Pink News reports. 

Film producer Alex Schmider, director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, tweeted:

Most of the trans men I know are Swifties. It’s incredible to see @laith_ashley as a part of the Midnights music videos, and appearing to be a character of Taylor’s desire no less. A big moment for representation in many ways. #TSmidnighTS

Laith Ashley De La Cruz[is an American model, actor, activist, singer-songwriter and entertainer.

See also them: “Who Is Laith Ashley, the Trans Model in One of Taylor Swift’s Midnights Videos?”

Top photo: Presley Ann/Getty Images for the Los Angeles LGBT Center

Charles Hamilton: the 18th century transgender man who scared the British authorities

You know the anti-trans activists who say trans people become trans because of “post-modern gender ideology”. That is nonsense. We have always had trans people among us. LGBTQNation reports on Charles Hamilton, a traveling trans man in 18th-century Somerset.

Laura Linham writes:

“On July 16, 1746, at St. Cuthbert’s Church in Wells, Somerset, Charles (or, as the parish register has it, James) Hamilton and Mary Price were married by the Reverend Mr. Kingstone.

For two months, the couple traveled through Somerset as husband and wife selling quack remedies – unproven cure-alls that often had little medical value. 

Still, on September 13, in a nearby town called Glastonbury, Mary denounced her husband to the town authorities.It turned out that Charles was missing a vital piece of equipment for Mary’s long-term happiness – a penis.“

His wife apparently did not know about his transgender nature originally, but when she found out she betrayed him.  He was arrested.

It was apparently not the fact that Hamilton dressed and worked as a man that was the problem. Nor were the authorities sure about his gender.  What really annoyed the authorities was that he had penetrative sex without having a penis. 

The Court sentenced “her, or him, whichever he or she may be, to be imprisoned six months, and during that time to be whipped in the towns of Taunton, Glastonbury, Wells and Shepton Mallet.”

It might be that he ended up in Philadelphia in the autumn  of1751, and that he worked there as a doctor and a surgeon. 

For more, read “Meet Charles Hamilton: the 18th century “female husband” who scandalized British society”

Slovakia LGBT attack: Thousands show up for a vigil outside a nightclub in Bratislava

From dypdatesss on reddit:

For a vigil in #Slovakia on Friday to remember two persons murdered outside a gay bar, thousands of people showed up. The men were allegedly killed by gunfire on Wednesday in the Slovak capital of Bratislava. 

According to organizers, 20,000 people attended the vigil to mourn the men’s deaths and call for progress on #LGBT #rights. 

Zuzana Caputova, the president of Slovakia, addressed at the occasion while flying the #rainbow flag over her office. She said, “I’m sorry that our society was unable to safeguard your loved ones. "You are valuable to our culture and you belong here.”

After a brief manhunt, police found the body of the 19-year-old gunman, who is believed to have shot himself, on Thursday morning.

He was identified as Juraj Krajcik, the son of a former far-right politician.

He left a manifesto which documents inspiration from anti-semitic propaganda, Donald Trump, homophobic and transphobic activism and right wing racism.

See also: The Bratislava Attacks: Insights from the Shooter’s Manifesto

Velma is a lesbian

Queer people have known for a long time, but now it is official: Scooby-Doo’s Velma is a lesbian.

The New York Times writes:

To many fans who had long presumed as much and treated her as a lesbian icon, it was not a shocking revelation. But her appearance in “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!,” which was released on Tuesday on several digital services, was the first time the long-running franchise openly acknowledged her sexuality, thrilling some fans who were disappointed that it took so long.

Role models matters, even the fictional ones!

The Norwegian government doubles its funding for LGBT organizations

This is a photo of Anette Trettebergstuen, the Norwegian Minister of Culture and Equality, presenting an interesting budget leak. The Norwegian government is adding 15 million Norwegian kroner to “the LGBTI pot”, including NOK 1 million to Oslo Pride (whose leader is Dan Bjørke, here seen with a trans flag.)

They are standing in front of the venues that were attacked on June 25 by a homophobic and transphobic terrorist. Two people were killed and many more wounded.

The increase in support for the Norwegian rainbow community is in response to that attack. Most Norwegian politicians have doubled down on their support for queer people.

As will be seen from the photo below, this also applies to transgender people. TERFs and other transphobes have not been able to stigmatize trans people in the same as in many other countries.

The photo is of the minister together with Christine Marie Jentoft, trans woman and representative of the LGBTQAI+ organization Fri (”Free”).

It is important to keep in mind that the transphobic politicians of the world – Putin, Belisario, Trump, Abbot and  Orban included – may make a lot of noise and cause much harm, but they are not the only politicians out there. Many show active support for trans and queer people.

Iceland presents an LGBTI Action Program

By the way: The parliament of another Nordic country, Iceland, has adopted a new governmental LGBTI Action Program for the period of 2020–2025. 

Iceland will, as Norway has already done, amend its hate speech and hate crime law, explicitly criminalizing  hate speech on account of sex characteristics (sexual orientation and gender identity included).

The plan also announces that registration forms and identity documents where gender registration is required should be harmonized in order to make non-binary gender a registration option in addition to male and female. 

The top photo is from a video published by Oslo Pride.
The second photo is from Christine Marie Jentoft’s twitter account.

This article was originally published on Medium.

Right wing extremists angry because  M&M adds purple “transgender” candy

The cultural anxiety of the far right knows no bounds. Now an American extremist TV channel complains about M&M adding a new purple flavor to their candy bags.

According to M&Ms parent company Mars the  new color  is “designed to represent acceptance and inclusivity.” She has a “charm and quirky” nature driven by “self-awareness, authenticity and confidence.”

Sure, I guess that makes her trans!

“M&M’s, you know, the candy we all grew up eating? Well they released their brand new character in over a decade, and the brand new character is purple M&M!” far right OAN host Dan Ball cried. “Which is supposed to represent inclusivity and acceptance." 

Inclusivity and acceptance have apparently become swearwords in certain circles.

"I think it’s a female character, but I’m pretty sure they haven’t said,” he continued. “Maybe it’s transgender." 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the extremist ban the color purple in schools next. We cannot have this ungodly mix of masculine blue and feminine red around kids.